''The Two Princes'' is a scripted

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

action adventure Action-adventure game is a video game genre that combines elements of action and adventure games. Action-adventure may also refer to: * Action-adventure fiction, a hybrid of the action and adventure genres * Action-adventure film, a hybrid of the ...

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

from

Gimlet Media Gimlet Media LLC was a digital media company and podcast network, focused on producing narrative podcasts and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The company was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, who served as the company's ...

. It was created and written by Kevin Christopher Snipes and directed by Mimi O'Donnell. The story focuses on two princes from warring kingdoms who become unwitting allies when they journey into a mysterious forest in order to try and save their realms. Along the way, the two heroes fall in love with each other.

Cast

The official cast was revealed on May 23, 2019. *

Noah Galvin Noah Egidi Galvin (born May 6, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He portrayed Kenny O'Neal in the ABC sitcom '' The Real O'Neals'' and was the second person to perform the title role in the Broadway musical ''Dear Evan Hansen''. He also pl ...

as Prince Rupert of the West *

Ari'el Stachel Ari'el Stachel (born July 29, 1991) is an American actor. He won the 2018 Tony Award for Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in ''The Band's Visit''. Early life Stachel was born and raised in Berkeley, California. His father, Aaron Yeshaya ...

as Prince Amir of the East *

Christine Baranski Christine Jane Baranski (born May 2, 1952) is an American actress. She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom ''Cybill'' (1995–1998). Baranski is als ...

as Queen Lavinia of the West *

Shohreh Aghdashloo Shohreh Aghdashloo (, ; born Vaziri-Tabar, May 11, 1952) is an Iranian and American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. Followin ...

as Queen Atossa of the East *

Samira Wiley Samira Wiley is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Poussey Washington in the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019) and as Moira in the Hulu dystopian drama series ''The Handmaid's Tal ...

as Joan *

Alfredo Narciso Alfredo Narciso (born July 8, 1973) is an American actor. Early life and education Narciso was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to a Brazilian mother and a Filipino father. He showed an interest in acting from a young age. He began acting in middl ...

as Barabbas and The Lord Hieronymus Chamberlain *Mandi Masden as Lady Cecily and Crazy Tooth *

Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include '' Carol & Company'' (1990–1991), Dr. Mark Devanow in '' Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in '' Spin City'' (1996–20 ...

as Cedric Strangelove *

Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He gained recognition for playing Kevin Walker in the family drama series '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in the spy drama series ''The Americans'' (2013 ...

as Sir Percy *

Omar Metwally Omar Metwally is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Dr. Vik Ullah in the Showtime drama series ''The Affair'', as well as for the films ''Munich'' (2005), ''Rendition'' (2007), and '' Miral'' (2010). He has also appeared in t ...

as The King of the East *

Sean Pertwee Sean Carl Roland Pertwee (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer. His credits include ''Chancer'' (1990), '' Leon the Pig Farmer'' (1992), '' Cadfael'' (1994), ''Bodyguards'' (1997), ''Event Horizon'' (1997), '' Stiff Upp ...

as The King of the West *

Laura Benanti Laura Ilene Benanti (née Vidnovic; born July 15, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Benanti made her Broadway debut as an ensemble member and later as Maria von Trapp in the 1998 revival of '' The Sound of Music''. Benanti went on to ...

as Flora *

Daphne Rubin-Vega Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the 1996 premiere of the Broadway musical '' Rent'' and Lucy in the ...

as Arachne * C. J. Wilson as Brutus *

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...

as Queen Malkia of the Midlands *

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''Red Pill'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Feature at The Mykonos ...

as Upendo *

Gideon Glick Gideon Glick (born June 6, 1988) is an American actor. His Broadway work includes originating the roles of Ernst in the musical '' Spring Awakening,'' Jimmy-6 in '' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', Jordan Berman in ''Significant Other,'' and Di ...

as Percy Junior *

Ali Stroker Alyson Mackenzie Stroker (born June 16, 1987) is an American actress, author and singer. She is the first actor who uses a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage, and also the first to be nominated for and win a Tony Award. Stroker was a finali ...

as Lorelei *Michael Braun as The Hydra *

Kathryn Kates Kathryn Jane Kates (January 29, 1948 – January 22, 2022) was an American actress. She was known for appearances on ''Seinfeld'' in the episodes "The Rye" and "The Dinner Party." She also appeared in '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''Ora ...

as The Barkeep *Jonah Fields as Wenceslaus *

Wesley Taylor Wesley Taylor (born August 13, 1986) is an American stage actor and writer, best known for his work in musical theatre and television. Theatre career In summer 2008, Taylor performed in Barrington Stage Company's production of the musical ''See ...

as Prince Darling of the North

Episodes

All episodes of season one were released on June 4, 2019, and all episodes of season two were released on December 11, 2019. The third season was released on October 20, 2020.

Reception

''The Guardian'' named ''The Two Princes'' as the Week's Best Home Entertainment for June 2019. It later named the show one of the Six Best Serialized Podcasts of 2019. Podcast reviewer Wil Williams wrote positively about ''The Two Princes'', stating that while it "isn't perfect, it is fun, sweet and incredibly enjoyable", citing the "high genre, borderline camp setup" and "fantastical plot" alongside a "contemporary sense of humor" as reasons why she believes the podcast works so well. Williams praised the "star-studded" cast, explain that she found herself "laughing out loud throughout the entire first season" and adding that there is "a feeling of joy that comes through in each performance" and that "every actor not only commits, no matter how silly the role, but commits so gleefully, it's infectious and is one of the key reasons ''The Two Princes'' is so genuinely charming". The romance between the two leads was also praised with the reviewer noting that "the tropes here don't make the romance feel cheesy or contrived, especially in the familiar trappings of the fairytale. Instead, they feel familiar enough to sink into, a sort of predictability that feels comforting versus boring. ''The Two Princes'' isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. It's trying to let a marginalized group actually take that wheel for once". Although critical of the sound design which felt "inorganic and impersonal", Williams concluded that the podcast is "sweet and fun in a way LGBTQ+ audiences don't often get to hear" and admitted that she "powered through the first season in a day and immediately wanted more". The Nerd Daily provided 7 reasons to listen to ''The Two Princes'': "A truly epic LGBTQ+ romance that ends happily, a dragon named Porridge, strong female characters, complex parent/child relationship that's handled exceptionally well, the sound effects really stand out, the narrative never gets overwhelming, and all the members of the star-studded cast deliver delightful performances!"

Adaptation

In February 2020,

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a Britis ...

reported that

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

was in talks with

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

to adapt ''The Two Princes'' into an hour-long animated TV special, though several other parties were also interested in developing the special. Original writer Kevin Snipes is set to work on the adaptation but it has not yet been announced whether the voice cast will reprise their roles.

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...

will animate the special, which will be produced by Chris Giliberti and Justin McGoldrick from

References

External links